NEWSLETTER: July 2015

Much has happened in the first half of July.

One wing of the "L" shaped school.

This is the classroom for Standard II.

School, Settling, and Sights 

Teaching
School started again two weeks ago. The school year follows the monthly calendar so this is the beginning of the second term. Most students had one month off and some studied through the break to prepare for national exams. The students returned to two new teachers this term, Melody and myself.

However, one change did happen at the school recently. The sponsorship program for the children switched to another organization. All involved are very excited about this and the willingness of the new organization to continue this program. Throughout the transition, God has made it clear that He is going to do great things with this. Although, some holes have developed.

The major hole now is financially. Amani Primary School is struggling financially as donations have dropped throughout this transition. The school is behind in paying salaries for the teachers. Those are the first priority. With funds short for this main cause, other areas are suffering financially as well.

I would like to ask you to prayerfully consider giving toward this need. It would be a huge blessing to the teachers and students! You can do this through this direct AIM link and it will be tax deductible just like other financial support. If you would like more specific details about the financial needs of the school, please contact me and I'll gladly provide you with more information about specific needs.

Home
We have continued to settle into our home. Most recently we were able to get a day bed (used as a couch) and a kitchen table. The small table will now be in my room for use as a desk. Chui (our lovely kitten) loves the new furniture and takes daily naps on it. Slowly we have acquired the unique things for our kitchen. We have our very own mini charcoal stove. Other recent additions include another bed and a bookshelf.

It has also been interesting to see the children get more comfortable with us. We bought Swahili Bibles to keep under the couch because they often ask for a book to read. They also enjoy playing cards while we work on our own tasks. Although, their fist priority is to probably just watch and see how the white people do everything.

Morogoro
We traveled back to Morogoro this past Wednesday for a board meeting for Amani. It was a full day but it was followed by a few relaxing days at the home of our leaders. It has been wonderful to be back in a familiar area. The "old" sights of Morogoro such as the mountains [see above] and the familiarity of walking around town to our favorite shops were a wonderful break from village life. We have enjoyed a solid internet signal and connecting with friends and family in the states as well as cold food from a fridge.

You can check out my blog for current prayer requests.

If you continue reading below that you will also find 10 reasons why you should respond to this message.

May your summer be blissful and amazing! I will continue to enjoy the "cold season" here and look forward to hearing from you.

Katherine

Chui (pronounced "chewy") enjoying a nap on the day bed.

Leaving the village in style as we ride to town to start our journey to Morogoro.

Current Prayer Requests

Things that are continually valid....
-physical health: when this goes down, it seems near impossible to do anything else
-rest: we have been blessed to get some time away the last couple days. Rest is also essential as we are continually learning new things and processing cultural differences.
-intentionality: Immersion into a new culture means lots of intentionality with making friends, trying new things, learning language, and every other area of life.

A few things for this current phase......
-to have a teacher's heart: we have been asked to do some teaching at the school. Teaching is not necessarily our calling and it takes some intentionality and effort to do be excited about it. It is a great way to get to know children and then their families, but we need help being excited about this new aspect.
-continued ability to feel at home: we left the states 6 months ago. [Crazy!!! How did that happen?] I am confident that God has called me to be here but in 6 months time, the events that I was absent for back "home" are starting to pile up.
-Digo people to be patient with us as we learn language and culture
-patience for ourselves
-willingness to be humble: .....because we will make mistakes

10 Reasons Why You Should Write Back

Most months I send out a newsletter through the fantastic method of communication known as email. Usually I don’t look forward to it because it means a time of testing my patience with the internet and using up the seemingly precious battery power. One thing always happens when I write a newsletter. I always hear through some people that many others are praying for me and they are excited to hear from me. I want each of you to know that it is completely acceptable to write to me directly whether a reply to a newsletter or just a note of its own. And these are some reasons why…..

1. I want to hear from you!!

2. It brings me great joy to know what is going on in your life.

3. Knowing what is going on with you makes me feel connected to life in the states.

4. It gives me motivation to write more knowing that I might hear from you.

5. God is doing great and amazing things where you are and I want to know about it.

6. I really do want to hear from you!!!

7. It is easier to know how I can be praying for you if I know what is going on in your life just like you want to support me through prayer.

8. Sometimes life on the other side of the ocean is hard and difficult and it is so refreshing to hear from you and even see pictures of you and your beautiful families.

9. Sometimes I just miss you and a note really helps to fill that void.

10. You are not insignificant. God called me to Africa. He called you to where you are. [Although, if He is calling you somewhere where you are not, then you might want to work on that situation.] The life you are living is a missionary life to those in your circle of influence. My people just happen to be Tanzanians. Your people are coworkers and friends.

NEWSLETTER: June 2015

Five Weeks Complete

A new life has definitely started in all aspects.

About five weeks ago we arrived at the village. So much has happened in such a short time that I don't even really know where to begin.

Our home is slowly coming together. We were able to get a few more pieces of furniture last week and get a couple things up on the walls. We very blessed to have running water and solar power.

Right now our main goals are to continue language learning and also to learn more about the culture. We did a homestay this month. For this, Melody and I each stayed with a different family for five nights. We did everything that the mom did. I was amazed at all the cooking we did. The family did everything from corn flour for me and we even made two different types of bread over a fire.

Most days we go for a walk around the village to greet people and try to start friendships. We have spent a couple days each week in town getting things for the house and taking care of business items.

About 15 km down this road you will find a little yellow house...

That little yellow house is my new home. It comes complete with running water, one solar panel, and promises of a journey packed with moments to remember.

This is what I look like on a typical day.

This month my brother, Jon, graduated from basic training for the Army. He has previously served 6 years with the Navy and has returned to Monterey, CA for more training.

The time is starting to pass by quicker than I ever thought it would. We often tell people we will be here for two years but the truth is that we have been gone almost six months already. Events are happening at home in America and we aren't there. Little kids that are dear to us are having birthdays, weddings are happening, and babies are being born. In all of that we aren't there. I bet know you are think that this is leading to the phrase "home sick". But the truth is that I do feel at home here. I saw something a long time ago that said...

"You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart will always be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place."

This is becoming more and more true each day. The little girl next door that will run and give me a hug as we sit down in the front yard for dinner brings back memories of other kids in my life that did the same. Meeting people in town is just like randomly seeing a friend while running errands on an average Saturday in the states. 

I am blessed to call many places home.

Everything I ate was cooked over a fire...

Everything I ate was cooked over a fire and I wasn’t camping….at least not what those in the western world would think of when the word camping is used.

Initial and random thoughts on homestay:

Homestay is a period of time when missionaries in a new location live with a family for the purpose of learning more about life in that area and possibly learn some language as well. We were fortunate to have a base knowledge of some language. Some people go into homestay not knowing any of the local language.

-everything we ate was cooked over a fire

-I thought we (Melody and I) were living a simple life in our new home until I saw how simplified things were for the family I was living with for the week. I now feel like we live in a palace.

-It seemed completely normal to have the young children sharpen the machete on the concrete blocks outside.

-Fire was a bit of a mystery. I would love to know where it started. People would go get hot coals from whoever had them so no one really started a fire from nothing.

-The sense of community was overwhelming especially when it came to providing a little of this and that. A few times a day people would come to ask for a little salt, tea, or other items.

- there was very limited expressions of love through physical touch and through words

-sweeping a dirt yard everyday and even multiple times a day really does make a positive difference

-farming by hand is fun for a few minutes

-seeing rice get bought in the market, made into flour, and used to make bread was definitely pretty awesome

-I was very entertaining to many (especially children) as I tried to do so many new things

-I will always enjoy connecting with kids cross culturally through tickling, especially since they never seem to figure out that they can tickle me in return

-language learning is so, so very hard and often right when I think I understand something, I figure out how extremely wrong I was in my thinking

-cooking with my hands was quite enjoyable, who needs a spoon to stir when God provided hands?

-I can carry firewood on my head but not much else

-people here are so resourceful; for example: using grass and a twig to tie a bundle of firewood

It Didn’t Feel Like Africa

When you reached the end of a commitment that was on your mind daily for months, how did you feel? What did you do at the end? Maybe a project at work or a semester of college concluded and you felt a huge weight lifted from your shoulders. Yesterday, I finished my formal language learning of Swahili. For as long as I will live in a Swahili speaking country, my learning of the language will continue. However, yesterday I completed both a written and spoken final exam. It truly felt like the conclusion of a college semester.

The two other AIM families in Morogoro wanted to celebrate with us both the ending of school and the beginning of life in the village. We had previously decided on a Mexican meal because Melody and I were really craving that. The date was set for yesterday evening so that the weight of school would be lifted and the joy of finishing would be maximized.

Melody and I arrived early, as we wanted to help prepare and cook the meal. Neither of us had spent much time in a kitchen (excluding a few days in Nairobi) since leaving America. She started chopping and I started on my task. To me, it seemed a little odd, yet enjoyable to be cooking. Someone else arrived with her contribution to the meal. Kids were nearby playing. Everyone was chatting about recent events and how the day had gone. Every part of the evening seemed like a normal that I have known, a normal that is familiar.

Then, the time came. All were present and hungry and the food was ready! We filled our plates and claimed our spots at the table. Every bit was delicious and treasured. Conversations continued and it was a blissful evening. Then it became better…..

Our teammates and now friends wanted to bless us with a few gifts. They wanted to make sure we had some things to make our new house feel like home and a few things that are good to have in the village setting. We opened our gifts and were overjoyed with an abundance of generosity and blessing. A smile was plastered on my face for this part of the evening and my heart was overflowing with the love that we were receiving.

Later that night, I realized what made the evening stand out so much. It didn’t feel like Africa. It felt familiar. It felt normal. It was a group of friends, gathered together, sharing a meal, celebrating accomplishments and new beginnings, and expressing love to one another. It felt like home. But, this is Africa. Africa is becoming home.

AIM in a Day

Africa Inland Mission is an amazing ministry that serves many countries on the massive continent of Africa. It is made up of thousands of missionaries each supported by countless prayer and financial partners. The missionaries are both directly on the field and also in their home countries working to help, support, and train others.

The average day of each person varies so much as each of us have very different roles.

some work in clinics
some work in the office
some live in their home country
some just moved across the ocean
some live in big cities
some live in remote villages
some serve on big teams
some serve on their own
some have served for decades
some just joined the mission
some work at a computer
some work in the field
some teach locals
some love on orphaned kids

But, each person is doing what God has called him or her to do in order to further His Kingdom. A few of the staff at the AIM-USA office put together a website to offer a glimpse into the life of an AIM missionary. Check out the below link to see snapshots from all over to create a day in the life of AIM.

AIM IN A DAY

A note about copyrights: Photographs shared here were taken by AIM members. Each individual photographer retains ownership of their images. Please only share these via the “share” links.